One Room Challenge Week 2: The Design Plan
For you all, we're two weeks into the One Room Challenge. For me, on the other hand, this one room has been a challenge for MONTHS! In case you missed it, catch up here:
Before I get into the design plan for this space, I wanted to give you some insights as to where this is going. When I call this our "flex" lounge, it's a play on words...
I consider this to be our "flex" space because it is a multipurpose room - our shared work area, the mini's homeschool turned activity area, and my workout area (the mister prefers a gym environment). It's also our flex space because we need it to be, well, FLEXible - unlike the other areas I've completed so far (living room, media room, laundry room, bonus bedroom, and kitchen) a year from now... three years from now... five years from now... the way we use the space could be completely different. Agility, when comes to the design of this space, is a top priority. That said, I don't want to make too many permanent decisions and I don't want to spend a ton of money. I hope be able to use things we already have & where purchases need to be made, hopefully they'll be with us for a while.
And lastly, this room is in many ways, as the kids would say, a "flex" because we went from not having dedicated areas for activities, work, and fitness to now having a whole room to do exactly that... aka another one of my "must be nice" rooms crossed off the design bucket list.
P.S. in case you don't get the "must be nice" reference, you may wanna check out this ORC post from last year.
Now let's get into the design...
Our study was first conceptualized a year ago, in the space that's now the media room. While I contemplated keeping some of these same design elements for this project - as I did with the media - truth is the virtual version of this design doesn't align with our lifestyle in the same way that the media room did. It was a gorgeous design tho... am I right!?
The space I'm working with now is a large pass through so I knew I would need to get pretty strategic about the space planning to create the different zones while also accommodating all the points of egress.
Space planning this room has been the biggest challenge, however, it's been a great exercise in problem solving - how do I create multiple zones when I barely have walls? A: furniture blocking.
I can use the furniture in the space to delineate the different areas instead of relying on walls.
Here's where things get especially tricky: making sure we can comfortable navigate the space. The last thing I need is to create an obstacle course to get to the laundry room, half bath, or media room. Keeping that in mind, as much as I want to "float" the desk, I am almost certain it won't work. For the past week I've actually been testing that theory... just in case...
I pulled up our existing desk away from the wall to see if it would be in our way, also leaving enough space behind me to toy with the idea of moving our sideboard (from the media room) there. Spoiler: not putting the sideboard there. Things would feel way to tight & I need space to work.
About our current desk...
I purchased this desk back in 2016 at our apartment, where I used the second bedroom as my home office - I don't have any before photos unfortunately but it was navy blue & gold at the time. When we decided to finally give the mini her won room, I put that desk in storage (aka behind the sofa lol) and used our folding acrylic desk in the living room. Fast forward to a year ago, when we decided to convert our dining room into a study, we pulled the desk out to use & painted it black for a whole new look.
The now black and gold desk is the one we've been using since moving - it's about 4' wide and 1-1/2' deep with 2 side by side drawers. It's served its purpose over the years but being home full time again - and in a totally different space - I am realizing it doesn't exactly work for us anymore. I want more surface area, more leg space, fewer pieces of furniture, and a sleeker design. Why do I still have this desk? Finding the desk I want seems to be proving harder than anticipated because they're easy not the right size, the design doesn't fit, and/or it's out of stock. It's still TBD on whether or not I'll be changing the desk because I also don't want to spend a ton of money on a replacement since I may not always need it in the future. I am close to finding one in a price range I'm comfortable with so when I know... you'll know.
The desk that I end up using will also determine the furniture blocking for that zone, but everywhere else - the mini's zone & the workout zone - is pretty set in stone...
This space plan is the way we've been using the space for the past couple of months and has given us the best use of the space as we go from task to task and flow through the space.
I would love to be able to float the desk away from the wall so that we can have 360º movement around the desk + it means we can face the media room & see when baby girl is playing. This won't be possible if we get a longer desk because it'll obstruct passage to & from the laundry room. A longer desk situation would have be be up against the wall, which means our back would be to the media room & her play area... but yay for for desk space lol.
Yes... I've considered having the work space elsewhere but a few things that took priority are (1) the location of our router & outlets made this the best wall for it and (2) the corner for our daughter is in fact the only full corner in the space - no doorways - and we wanted this to be her area so that there would be enough wall space for her legos, library, artwork, etc.
She needs wall space like I need desk space.
In any case, this entire "room" is one that needs to encourage creativity and inspire action, so I'm designing with that in mind...
My design plan includes a palette that's vibrant but not overstimulating - a base of "neutrals" accented with complimentary greens, oranges, and pinks... and metal of course. My furnishings plan is to use what we have and get multifunctional pieces wherever possible. I don't "DIY" because that is just NOT my ministry, but I will be putting some sweat equity into this space with some reversible design solutions as well... because... flexibility. This isn't a renovation - like not even a little - so much as it's a redesign... maybe even just a refresh, since we'd already painted after removing the popcorn ceiling in this room last year.
What can you expect in the coming weeks?
Lots and lots of problem solving so that this room can stop looking (and feeling) like an oversized hallway with a hodge podge of stuff thrown in there.
That's it... that's the all plan lol.
Next week, I'll also be getting to actually showing you the progress being made in the space, but in the meantime, you can check out this update video on the media room aka the view from the soon to be flex lounge. These rooms have an equally special place in my heart, having had designed them both at the same time, and now it just feels good to finally be getting the other half done #irl.
And don’t forget the other 19 featured designers…
Albie Knows | At Home with Savvy | Beth Diana Smith | Eclectic Twist | Erika Ward Interiors | From House to Home| G. Lebron Interiors | Goldalamode | Home Made by Carmona| Impeccable Nest | Jeweled Interiors| Joyful Designs Studio | Joy Street Design | Our Fifth House| Peony & Honey | Pinch Plate Party | Rebecca Propes | Reem’s Design | Saudah Saleem Interiors | Whitney J Decor